Narrative:A few minutes before a brief scheduled stopover at Mérida. Mexico, a hijacker put a razor to the neck of a flight attendant and demanded to be flown to Cuba. The captain advised the hijacker he would be flown to Cuba but they had to stop in Mérida, Mexico because the aircraft was nearly out of fuel. The hijacker agreed and when the aircraft landed a police officer disguised as a mechanic sneaked aboard, disarmed the hijacker and took him into custody.

This map shows the airport of departure and the intended destination of the flight. The line between the airports does not display the exact flight path. Distance from Mexico City-Benito Juárez International Airport to Mérida-Rejon Airport as the crow flies is 991 km (619 miles).

This information is not presented as the Flight Safety Foundation or the Aviation Safety Network’s opinion as to the cause of the accident. It is preliminary and is based on the facts as they are known at this time.